LOCAL MP David Warburton MP has welcomed the government’s launch last week of what is described as the largest-ever education budget for primary and secondary schools and the introduction of historic reforms that will bring an end to unfairness in the school funding system for rural schools.
Outlined on 7th March by the Secretary of State for Education, the new reforms will deliver a budget of over £40billion in 2016 – 17: the largest education budget for primary and secondary education in this country’s history.
The government is also reforming the way funding is distributed so that rural English schools receive a fairer slice of the cake.
David Warburton MP said, “This is momentous development for Somerset’s schools. I have been campaigning for years for fairer funding for our rural schools so the Secretary of State’s announcement of a £40billion budget for primary and secondary education is very welcome.
“Under the current system for distributing schools funding, a school in one part of the country could receive over 50% more than an identical school with exactly the same children. Proposals published by the Government this week introduce a national funding formula so that no pupil is disadvantaged simply by where they live.”
The plans outlined state that it will ensure:
• Every school and local area, no matter where they are in the country, is funded fairly – according to need rather than the oddities of history; meaning areas with the highest need will attract the most funding and ensuring that all children get access to the education they deserve; and
• Funding gets straight to the frontline – the current school funding system relies on local authorities determining how much funding schools are allocated. A single national funding formula for schools will remove the role of the local authority, ensuring pupils with similar needs attract the same level of funding to their school, and will also give head teachers far more certainty over future budgets.
The Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan MP said, “We want every school in England to get the funding it deserves, so that all children – whatever their background and wherever they live in the country – get a great education.
“The introduction of a national funding formula from 2017-18 will see the biggest step towards fairer funding in over a decade – ensuring that pupils get funding that genuinely matches their need. It will also ensure that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to receive significant additional funding to overcome entrenched barriers to their success.”
Local authorities will continue to play a vital role in the distribution of high needs funding as they are best placed to make important local decisions about children with special educational needs and disabilities.
